In particular, Pushkov said the US president is accused of being unable to deal with the Islamic State militants and spread of the deadly Ebola virus. “Obama did not suggest any distinct line that would allow the country to feel safe,” he said.

“So I think, on the one hand, this is a deserved defeat, and on the other hand, this is not just a defeat of the Democratic Party, but this is the defeat of the president,” Pushkov said.

The Republicans have won most of the seats in the Senate at Tuesday’s midterm elections and also widened their majority in the House of Representatives, US media reports said on Wednesday, citing exit polls.

The results of the midterm elections mean that the new Congress, which is due to convene in January, will be fully controlled by the Republicans for the first time since 2006.

The Republicans will head all the committees in both houses and define the legislative agenda. Such a prospect will create serious difficulties for Obama during the next two years of his presidency.

Pushkov said the Republican victory is unlikely to seriously affect Washington’s foreign policy but will result in an “unfavorable vector” for Russia amid the current hawkish statements.

Many Republicans have been calling on the US to immediately start sending arms to Ukraine and switching to a new Cold War with Russia, and some of them have also urged to eliminate the regime of Iran.

“That’s why the consequences of the foreign policy, in my opinion, in general in the atmosphere in the US political class will be unfavorable,” Pushkov said, adding that there is no hope for a “positive shift” in the US-Russia relations.